ABSTRACT
I like to run around my lake next to the hay field. Not only is it good exercise, it also gives me some good thinking time. As I run, I hear the constant croaking of the bullfrog and the intermittent but regular chirps of the leopard frog. When I’m close to the water, the sandpipers start squeaking at me from where they stand and continue until I leave the water’s edge. There are three red-winged blackbird nests right next to my running path. When I approach each, the parent birds start screaming at me and flying around me, trying to distract me from their nest. As soon as I am a little distance away, they stop their tirade. These are four different creatures with four different and distinct ways of communicating. The bullfrog constantly drones with his loud message, the leopard frogs emphasize their chirping message regularly, the sandpipers start sounding their warnings when I approach, and consistently squeak while I am in their area. The red-winged blackbirds scream only when I am very close.
